tonight down to the wire. >> with just hours to goshoppers crowd stores across the country. in search of last minute bargains. tony has the christmas eve wrap un. and the golden state leads. and and operation gratitude.tracy smith talks to the housewife and mother who wants no american in uniform to be forgotten during the holidays. >> i have to have the beliefthat someone at home cares. >> announcer: this is the cbsevening news. captioning sponsored by cbs

this is the "cbs evening news" good evening.for evening the most h most procrastinators time is running out. >> two days afternoon a consumerreport poll said 25% of americans had not started their shopping yet most are jamming the stores now. >> it was the night beforechristmas and all in the mall the holiday shoppers do it all. >> there was the occasionalexception. i think it's more fun last minute shopping. >> really. >> exceptions rulely usually prove therule. >> i best last year you saidnext year no more last day. did you say that? >> yes i go did.tina moore was shopping for her mother and her cousin around thought she may pick up something for herself. >> similar intentions for the125,000

last minute shoppers at the mall of america in bloomington, minnesota. at best buy stores the cat nip was the sale of the issments phone iphonefour, 2 four the price of one. the shopping season is sending with a whimper not a bhang. >> the retailsers retailers don'tantanything left on their shelves. >> santa came early.he paid the lay a way balances of customers. it's been a hard year.god bless them. >> anthony moore had picked outthree dresses. >> he had a hard time figuringout if one was right.

>> this is a finicky one. >> what happens when loved onesdon't love what they received. consumers are expected to return more than $46 billion worth of gifts starting monday. 10% of the swag purchased this holiday season. holiday sales are onemeasure the economy job creation is another. and in one large state hard hit by the recession employment prospects are beginning to bright en. bill whitaker has a few cases in points. brittany diligently looked for work for a year. >> i was applying to a lot ofagencies and working on my cover letters and was not getting the gig. >> her fortunes changed inoctober when she walked through the job and was offered a job. a high-tech agency that helps

people take advantage of the digital revolution. >> we do everything fromwebsites and ipad applications applications. >> the ceo says the revenue ask isup 60%. this year we have hired 60 employees and i wouldn't be surprise the if we hire another 50. >> they are turning california'seconomy around. the country's largest state eded 233,000 to the payroll in the last year. the hot spots high-tech centers. >> jobs are up in silicon valleyand staying and san francisco and orange county. >> california has the hirestunemployment rate in the country.

11.3%. now digital age companies could be key. allan duncan found he was in high demand. >> i had a four offers and theni had hey i'm interested let's take the next step. he left a job in new york. >> we can't find enough people. >> it's a great feeling not tobe asked how is the job serch -- search going. >> this is the third month in arow that that the state has led the nation in job growth. with the payroll tax cutresolved president obama and his family are enjoying the first full day of their christmas vacation in highy. -- hawaii. that is where we found chip

reid. what kind of mood was he stepping off the plane? >> i think you can see an extraspring in his step. the white house believes it was a big victory for the white house. no. win theyoneno.no. 1 theyno.no. 1 it showed that he could stand up up and win. and fighting for the middle class going into the election year. >> they don't want to be sign as gloating. how are they handling the political implication to this. >> i think they did get a giftfrom the republicans in the house. >> and they realized 000 that thesecret to their success is to paint the house republicans the 90 tea party backed face of the republican party.

they are far out of the mainstream and if they can paint it what they are about that is a big winner for the white house. there are glimmers of hope on the economic front and that is good news for the white house and another reason why the president is smiling broadly. overseas opponents tovladimir putin took to the streets in greater numbers than ever before. >> their protest comes on asignificant anniversary. charlie d'agata has the report. >> tens of thousands came on thestreets to tell vladimir putin they have had enough. i came here with my friends and with the election we want to say the putins go away. >> the demonstrators are wantinga reelection for for the election that was rigged.

putin's next toast is the presidential election scheduled frimaire 4th. -- more march 4th. do we want putin to returnto the presidency? ". no "the crowd shouted. the critics say that is only because he hand picked his opponents. >> if march mr.putin proclaimedthat he won this election no one will believe he won honestly. >> after serving for 8 years andanother 4 years as prime minister putin is planning a return to the office of president a move that has willing russians saying, enough is enough. for the first time since the end of communist rule in russia the opposition movement is gaining momentum. putin's problems are not going

away. charlie d'agata cbs news. it was 20 christmases agothat minute mikael gorbachev ended 70 years of communist rule. today he suggested that prime minister putin follow his example and resign. in the middle east a massfuneral was held in syria. it turned into a show of support for the president who blamed the bombing on kite. -- al qaeda. the government more than 100,000 pilgrimsand tourists crowded into bethlehem's square.

and at the vatican pope benedict lit a can can't candle. coming up on tonight's cbsnews. an iraqi translator fearing for his life after the departure of the u.s. troops he helped. hi i want to give a shoutout to my family in san antonio texas. i love you, i miss you, merry christmas, happy holidays.

it didn't take long withindays of the last u.s. troops leaving iraq's a wave of

violence swept through baghad this week. 16 bombs exploded killing 70 people and wounding another 200. last week we met one iraqi worried about his safety because he worked were the americans. in a follow-up elizabeth palmer talks about his spiking gear. >> days after the u.s. withdrewthe last troops from iraq and the political battle raging this new violence invoked fears that this country may be headed for a civil war. the bombs hit too close to home for a man we call terry. man we met last week in baghdad who worked with the army fighting fraud and reconstruction projects. he asked that we conceal his identity to protect him. >> what did you do for theunited states. >> i helped distinguish who werethe

good guys and bad guys. >> he was on his way to workwhen one bombs exploded at his office killing 25 colleagues. >> what will happen to you ifyou stay in ironing iraq and you can't get to the states. >> i will get killed. >> terry has been waiting for ayear for a visa that will allow him to move to the u.s. in a skype interview yesterday he told us he can wait to longer. >> when i was working i wasliving in a secure place. i didn't fear my life. even for the one moment. and now there is no such place. >> the u.s. state departmentsays they are looking into the status of terry's visa. but he has decided to leave iraq for jordan to join the million and a half refugees that have already fled their country.

and up next on tonight's cbcevening news. dupmster diving to make apoint. i'm wishing my family amerry christmas and happy new year's.

wa

over the course of the yearamericans will generate 250 million tons of garbage. one man's trash is another man's treasure. especially in fort worth, texas. >> they need blue jeans andtennis shoes. >> like so many of us this timeof year jeff ferrell has his minds on giftses. gifts -- gifts for his wife karen nothing but the best like this necklace from nieman marcus. >> i will wear it to thechristmas party. it's the hit of the evening. for him top shelf is the bottom of the dumpster. a ferrell a sociology professor is a professional dumpster diver. it's a 2 2 hour bike ride and i hit 50 dumpsters.

>> for years he has been a texassized recycler finding all kinds all kinds of things on his refuse ride. it's still has the tag on it. >> he gathers them up and givesthem a way. way. >> two things in society iswaste and need i can take the first problem and fix the second problem. >> most times his refound itemsgo to charity. >> i found these navy blankets. >> but at this time of year theybecome gifting for family and and friends. >> it's like knowing robin hood. >> she has received silver andjewelry and designer glass from her friend the high class garbage picker. >> i think if jeff saw this inthe

trash he wouldn't be happy. >> even his parents get thingsfrom the trash. >> it was brand new it had notbeen worn. >> monday morning jeff ferrellwill be up and at him. if you think the malls are busy think of the likes of dumpster dying. >> christmas shouldn't be thewasteful day of the year but it is. there are no estimate on how many gifts go straight to the dumpsters. watch this.cincinnati's jerome simpson caught a pass and down the sideline and 360° somersault and into the end zone for a touch doubt. simpson landnd on his feet for a perfect dismount. still ahead.

hundred of thousands ofgiftses for the troops thanks to one california mom. precis of tylenol. i habe a cohd. yeah, i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth! i take an omega for my heart. but to be honest i find the omega choices overwhelming. which one is right for me? then i found new pronutrients omega-3. it's from centrum, a name i trust. it goes beyond my heart to support my brain and eyes too. and these ultra-concentrated minigels are much smaller than many others. it's part of a whole new line of supplements. there's probiotic and fruit & veggie too. new pronutrients from centrum helps make nutrition possible.

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. nearly 200 troops returnedto fort hood texas one week after leaving iraq where the unit had been deployed since february. many troops remain on duty

around the world, far from home but far for gotten. >> for a few days everybody yearhundreds of volunteers crowd a national guard armory in van nuys california making boxes bounds for war. they are packed with little bits of home. things that can make life in the combat zone easier. at least bearable. >> the name on the side says itall. carolyn blashek found operations gratitude. >> are they in needs of thesepackages. >> there are hundreds of troopsthat are away from home and they deserve to be remembered. >> you would expect this from aveteran or army wife. but blashek is neither. she earned a law degree at columbia university before becoming a full time mom.

then same september 11th and the start of the war in afghanistan. >> i looked at my children atthat point and i remember thinking this is a war that could go on. i have lived half of my life and they are just starting out. and i don't want to be the them to bear this burden. >> so carolyn went off to jointhe marines. she wound involunteering at a military lounge in the airport. >> i was in the facility bymyself and a soldier came in and distraught and he said for the first time in my 20-year career i am going to a war and i may not make it back but it doesn't matter because nobody cares. it made me think. what would give them the strength to make them survive. and i realized a lot of it is a

belief that someone cares. >> the next day she startedsending care packages overseas. her house became a staging area and she enlisted her family's help including her son jordon. >> there was a few monthsperiods where our house was fact -- stacked with boxes. >> her operation is big but notimpersonal. every box goes out with a handwritten note of thanks astressedaddressed to a soldier. her daughter is now a social worker. her son jordon got accepted to medical school. two years ago at christmas he told his parents something they

never expected to hear. i want >> i want to serve my countryand i am joining the marines. >> honestly want went throughyour mind. thank god and stay safe. >> carolyn says operationgratitude will stay up and running not until her son comes home but until they all do. and that is the cbs eveningnews. later on cbs 48 hours mystery. i'm jim axlerod in new york. i hope you enjoy the holiday. see you again tomorrow. good night. ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org